


Cinema Civility

by IchijouKenichiro



Series: Days Like These [1]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: Drinking, F/M, Family Issues, Implied!Gigolas, M/M, Modern AU, kiliel - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-02
Updated: 2015-09-02
Packaged: 2018-04-18 15:53:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4711682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IchijouKenichiro/pseuds/IchijouKenichiro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tauriel is excited to see a film with her boyfriend, but her godfather, Thranduil, refuses to let the young couple go alone. Will chaperoning her date help Thranduil to see what kind of person his god daughter is dating? Or will he be too busy with personal problems of his own?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cinema Civility

**Author's Note:**

> This story is designed to be a standalone, but there may be more to come in future. I kind of want to explore Gimli and Legolas' relationship as well as give more to Kíli and Tauriel's.
> 
> Special thanks to [Poplitealqueen](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Isimun/pseuds/poplitealqueen) for being a great motivator. And of course thank you to my beta [The_Dragongirl](http://archiveofourown.org/users/the_dragongirl/pseuds/the_dragongirl) and beta/brit picker [SomethingIncorporeal](http://archiveofourown.org/users/SomethingIncorporeal/pseuds/SomethingIncorporeal). Without you three this would not have happened.

"I am not going to let you go to a movie with a boy unsupervised!" Thranduil exclaimed, even as Tauriel scrunched her face up in anger. 

 

"He's not that kind of person," she cried, exasperated. "Why do you never trust me to make my own decisions?"

 

Thranduil sighed and put a hand to his brow. "I trust you, Tauriel. It is this young man of yours I do not trust. You are only 16 and you have a tendency to rush into things you care about. I admire your passion, but I fear his true intentions."

 

"I thought you said he was nice when you met him?"

 

"I did. But that does not mean there is not something else going on in his mind." Thranduil had known too many young men at that age who played the gentleman for their own nefarious purposes. He would not let Tauriel end up broken hearted, or worse, humiliated by false rumors about her character.

 

They both stared at each other for a tense moment. 

 

"Does Ms. Durin know about this date you two are planning?" he asked. 

 

"Of course," sighed Tauriel, rolling her eyes. 

 

"And she was fine with you two going alone?"

 

She pouted.  "No. Kíli said his uncle is coming along to keep an eye on us."

 

"I see."

 

"So there's no need for you to come too. We will already have a chaperone."

 

Thranduil raised an eyebrow. He knew that Tauriel would not outright lie to him, but he could not help but be suspicious of how much she did not want him there. This uncle of Kíli’s might simply drop the two of them off at the cinema and leave them alone inside.

 

"Then it will hardly make a difference if I come along too."

 

Tauriel threw out her arms. "You don't even like movies!"

 

"Well, I read the book, so I am sure that Kíli's uncle and I will have plenty to discuss while leaving you two to your privacy."

 

"You wouldn't make Legolas do this!"

 

Thranduil smiled bitterly. "Legolas does not have a boyfriend who calls the house at all hours of the night."

 

"Fine. Just promise me you won't try to embarrass me?" she pleaded. 

 

"Of course, my dear. You will hardly even know I am there."

\-----

 

They parked in the car park attached to the cinema and Thranduil made sure to set the security alarm. He would not have trusted this part of town even if he had not been driving a sports car. But his sedan was getting a new paint job, so the Jaguar would just have to fend for itself. Legolas was at his friend Gimli's house playing some sort of paper fantasy game that Thranduil could never figure out. He was happy that his son had found some friends to play with now that he was in senior school. Even if he did not understand the appeal of such things, boys would be boys, and pretending to kill monsters was hardly a dangerous pastime. 

 

Instead Thranduil spent most of his time worrying about his god-daughter. She was a delightful girl and reminded him a great deal of his wife when she had been that age. Perhaps that was part of why he had always been so fiercely protective of her ever since she came to live with him and Legolas. 

 

They arrived fifteen minutes early; he hated the idea of being late when meeting someone for the first time. When they saw they were the first to arrive, Thranduil went ahead and purchased tickets for four. 

 

He paid without complaint and went back to Tauriel, aghast. "£56 for cinema tickets? I would love to see their overheads," he muttered and handed her two of the tickets.

 

She giggled and held the tickets to her chest. Thranduil was not sure if she had even heard him as she rocked on her heels, looking towards the entrance. 

 

He let go of the tension knotting in his shoulders as he observed her delightful nervousness. She had worn a white sundress patterned with green tropical leaves and a sunflower clip in her hair. The sunniness of her outfit mirrored her mood and it warmed his heart to see her so genuinely happy. Although she usually had a smile on her face, there was often a sadness to her expression. 

 

Thranduil tried his best to make her feel like the part of their family, which she certainly was, but still, it seemed that witnessing the affection between himself and his son pained her at times, a reminder of what she had lost to the accident. 

 

Tauriel suddenly jumped to attention. Then she calmed herself as though nothing had occurred, smoothing the end of her dress to cover her earlier reaction. Thranduil turned to the door to see Kíli and his uncle enter. Kíli was dressed more nicely than usual, he was wearing a short sleeve check shirt and what was clearly his 'good' jeans. As he walked briskly towards her, he held up a small bouquet of daisies and black eyed susans. "These are for you, my--" 

 

Thranduil's eyes met Kíli's. "Tauriel," the boy finished. 

 

"Hello, Kíli."

 

"Hello, Mr. Greenwood. Good to see you again." 

 

"It is. Are you going to introduce me to your uncle?" Thranduil asked, turning a curious eye to the man and giving him a look over. His long black wavy hair, streaked with white, was pulled back into a loose ponytail, a few strands escaping at the sides. He wore a scuffed black leather jacket and below it, a new looking t-shirt. And were those designer jeans too? Thranduil admired the style, it was smart, while looking relaxed.

 

“Of course,” Kíli said quickly. “Mr. Greenwood, this is my uncle, Thorin. Uncle Thorin, this is Mr. Greenwood.”

 

“Thorin Oakenshield,” the man replied in a deep voice.

 

He extended his hand. “Call me Thranduil. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

 

“Likewise.” The man took his hand and gave it a short shake before releasing it.

 

Thranduil noticed the two teens glancing between them. “Shall we?”

 

“We still need to buy tickets. If you’ll excuse me,” said Thorin, moving away.

 

“That won’t be necessary. I have taken the liberty of purchasing them already.”

 

Thorin turned back to him with knitted eyebrows. Tauriel was handing Kíli his ticket, so he held one out for Thorin.

 

“Uh, you really didn’t need to do that,” Thorin said, looking nervous as he took the slip of paper from Thranduil’s hand. “Let me get the refreshments then. Why don’t you kids go ahead and pick out what you want? And Thranduil, can I get you anything?”

 

The young couple ran to the counter, peering over their options.

 

“Just a glass of wine. Red if there’s a choice.”

 

Thorin gave him a doubtful look but nodded and headed to the snack kiosk. Thranduil kept an eye on Kíli, watching as he pressed his hands up to the glass display and pointed out several different options. The boy kept turning with a bright face to Tauriel, who couldn’t stop laughing at whatever he was saying. Perhaps he didn’t need to be quite so concerned about Kíli.  The boy seemed to genuinely care for her. Still, it was best to remain cautious.

 

He averted his gaze as the three returned. Kíli was carrying a tray with a large tub of popcorn, a box of maltesers, a bag of jelly babies, and two drinks. Thranduil ignored the amount of salt and processed sugar the children would consuming and turned to Thorin. 

 

"They were out of wine, I hope cider is okay," Thorin said holding out a clear plastic cup. In his other hand he held another cup with much darker liquid. 

 

Thranduil took it with a polite smile. He did not particularly care for the flavor of the beverage, but it was the thought that counted. Besides, being civil was no hardship. "Thank you."

 

They proceeded to hand over their tickets to the attendant and rounded the corner to the screen at the end of the hall. They had arrived early enough that only a few seats were occupied. 

 

"The back row is open?" exclaimed Kíli, “If no one takes it by showtime, we should go sit there.”

 

Both Thorin and Thranduil turned to him with sour expressions. 

 

"That is not going to happen," Thorin said. 

 

"But Uncle!"

 

Thranduil intervened. "I purchased tickets so that you both sit two rows ahead. We will leave you two to your privacy, but we are going to be where we can keep an eye on you."

 

"But-”

 

"Absolutely not. We are going to keep you both in our sights," Thorin announced definitively. 

 

"Aw," whined Kíli, "please, Uncle?"

 

"I have strict instructions from your mother. Now go take your seats in front of us."

 

Thranduil admired the way Thorin handled his nephew. He was looking forward to getting to know the man more. They would no doubt be seeing each other again if Tauriel continued to date Kíli. 

 

"I thought Uncles were supposed to spoil their nephews," Kíli grumbled with a pout. 

 

"You're thinking of grandparents," Thranduil added with a grin. 

 

Tauriel laughed and took Kíli's hand. "Come on, Kíli. At least our spot is in the center."

 

Kíli ceased complaining, focused on holding her hand and lead her to a row two thirds up. "Does this meet with your approval, my lady?" he asked with an over dramatic bow. 

 

She nodded, grinning from ear to ear, and proceeded down the row of seats towards the center. Before she could sit, Kíli held down the bottom of the seat. Tauriel laughed again, her cheeks tinting pink, and sat. 

 

Thranduil smiled at the display. Despite having quite different personalities, the two seemed a fair match for one another. 

 

"Our seats are up here," came Thorin's voice from above him, and he turned to see the man two rows higher up. Thranduil quickly came to where Thorin stood, heading for the seats directly behind the teenagers. 

 

They sat beside one another, eyes focused on their goal. Because the two were facing forward he could not make out what they were saying over the music playing on the speakers. But he and Thorin could observe enough to make sure that nothing would happen that wasn't supposed to. 

 

Thorin held out a Mars bar. "Can I offer you some?"

 

He eyed the chocolate and decided it was best to at least try. Thorin seemed to be making every effort to be polite and his personal tastes should not factor into that. 

 

"Oh, that is so kind, thank you."

 

He waited for Thorin to make a move. 

 

He did not. 

 

Thorin held out the confection and Thranduil stared back at him. 

 

Noticing they were at a standstill, Thranduil gave a small nod at the chocolate and Thorin responded with a single shake of the bar in his hand. 

 

They continued to look at each other without moving. 

 

Did Thorin wish him to ask for a piece? That didn't seem polite to him, but what else could he be waiting for? Surely breaking off a part for himself would be very rude.

 

"So, do you want some?" Thorin asked unsure. 

 

So that was the problem then. "Yes, thank you."

 

Thorin shook the bar at him again. He looked at the chocolate and then to Thorin. 

 

When it was clear their bizarre miscommunication was going  to continue he asked, "Should I....?"

 

"Yes," replied Thorin irritably. 

 

Thranduil frowned and took the chocolate, trying to keep his own frustrations under control. He carefully opened the packaging across the top seam and used the length of his first knuckle to measure out a fifth of the bar. He figured that was enough to be a polite portion without seeming too greedy. He carefully broke the chocolate while it was still inside the package and slid the piece into his hand before returning the it. "Thank you."

 

He noticed Thorin giving him a look. "I'm sorry, is something the matter?"

 

Thorin smirked and shook his head. "No. I... I just have never seen anyone measure chocolate before. That's all."

 

He wasn't sure if he should be insulted or not. "I see." He decided he should change the subject while he could. "So have you read ‘Fangs’ before?"

 

Thorin looked at him. "Did they already make a book version of the movie? It hasn't been out that long, has it?"

 

Now it was Thranduil's turn to give Thorin a horrified look. "The book came out 12 years ago. It was the top seller for 16 months straight."

 

"Are you sure? I'm pretty sure this movie isn't based off a book," Thorin said dubiously. 

 

Thranduil gave a scandalised look. "It is most certainly based off the book! I read an interview in last week's paper with the author about the release."

 

Thorin shrugged. "Well, I haven't read the book then. This kind of story isn't really my thing, but Dís had to take Fíli to his football match, so I said I would escort Kíli. Honestly I thought they would've chosen 'Love on Deck'. I hear it has a bit of everything. Although it is a romance film, there’s supposed to be a lot of action and suspense."

 

The lights dimmed partway as the trailers were about to begin. 

 

"I think you will be pleasantly surprised. I prefer to read novels of military history or science fiction, myself. But the novel had such good reviews I felt I should see what all the fuss was about.  I read it and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Besides, 'Love on Deck' looks awful. Those romance stories are usually a pile of rubbish. Boring and far too predictable. At least here there will be a real story to keep our interest."

 

Thorin shifted, his body language turning defensive. "If you don't mind, I would like to hear the trailers"

 

Thranduil made a sour face and turned to sip at his cider. It was still not to his tastes, but if things continued like this, he would be needing to get more than one. He didn't want to have to get back up during the movie, so he slid from his seat and went to grab a couple more before returning. The trailers were still going when he sat back down and set his two new drinks by his feet. 

 

Thorin turned to him. "Tell me you did not just get more alcohol when you have to drive a child home after the movie."

 

Thranduil drank more of the cider, feeling spiteful that someone would tell him how to care for his daughter. "Shhhhh. I’m trying to watch."

 

He could see the man bristling in the seat besides him. 

 

They sat in tense silence as the trailers finished and the lights went all the way off, signaling that the film would begin. Thranduil gave a glance down to where Kíli and Tauriel seemed to be discussing if they would want to see that strange werewolves in space film. Kíli's hand lay atop Tauriel's on the armrest. At least they were keeping things in plain view and having a good time. 

 

Thranduil reclined in his seat, placing his elbows on the armrest, only to set his arm on Thorin's. He pulled his arm back and looked to Thorin to apologise. He was met with a glare. The apology died in his throat and he returned to his drink. 

 

On screen a group of six young adults set up their camp by the lake, readying themselves for a weekend of outdoor activities. 

 

"I sure hope the Wargs don't get us in the night," joked one of the young men. 

 

"Yeah, Thomas, I hear that on hot summer nights those Wargs are out in droves, roaming the hills for flesh."

 

"Stop it, Tommy! You know Bridget is already freaked out enough in the woods at night," one of the women said, putting an arm around Bridget’s shoulders. 

 

"It's just a joke! Jeez!"

 

Thranduil pursed his lips. They were certainly taking creative license with the opening scene, but soon enough things should get back on track. He worked on finishing his first drink and tried to concentrate on the story, giving a few glances down to Tauriel and Kíli, just in case. 

 

When the scene finally came where the Warg got its first victim, he smiled to see Kíli jump and grab Tauriel's arm. 

 

Then he jumped too, nearly spilling his drink in his lap as a large hand gripped his wrist from around the armrest. He turned to see Thorin's wide eyes. He pulled his hand away and gave the back of Thorin's hand a swift pat. 

 

"It's alright, they will kill the beasts by the end," he said reassuringly. 

 

Thorin turned angrily. "Why would you tell me about how it ends?"

 

"Shhhhh!" came a loud hiss from off to one side. They both turned to see a woman glaring at them. 

 

They exchanged accusing looks then turned back to the film. Thranduil drained his first cider and then changed the empty cup in the holder for a full one.

\-----

 

"Ugh! Is that really necessary?" asked Thorin quietly to himself. "It is a gratuitous amount of blood."

 

"Actually, Cindy is found just as a mauled head and half of a torso in a pool of blood in the novel. They decreased the gore for the film," he whispered back before he realised he was doing it. 

 

“This is bad enough for me, thank you,” said Thorin sarcastically.

 

"Shhhh!" The same woman as before glared at them. 

 

They turned back to the movie. 

 

Soon another attack came and Thorin shut his eyes. "Just tell me when it's over," he whispered.

 

A man behind them shushed them. 

 

Thranduil was starting to hate the other patrons in this theater. 

\----

 

Bridget was in the cabin with the wounded police officer, holding a shotgun. 

 

"Officer Bradey, how did they figure out that we came here? I thought we managed to cover up our tracks and we used the river so we shouldn't have left any scent for them to follow!"

 

"They're learning, Bridget. They must have figured out this was the safest place for us to come. But there's only three of them left. If I can just get to my squad car, I can radio for backup."

 

"No, don't leave me! I don’t want to be alone!"

 

"Why did they make Bridget so weak? In the novel she is the one who goes to the police car to call for backup while Bradey cowers in the cabin," he whispered, annoyed. 

 

"Can't you just forget about the novel and watch the bloody movie?" Thorin asked in a hissed whisper of his own. 

 

"Shut up!" yelled the woman. 

 

"Oh, fuck off!" Thorin shouted back. 

 

A man on their other side shushed them. 

 

Thorin leaned in close to him, so he could speak more quietly. "You're getting us yelled at. Can’t you just be quiet for the rest of the film?"

 

"Me?" Thranduil shot back, forcing himself to stay at a whisper, "you are the one that cannot keep your voice low enough to-"

 

He watched as the woman started towards the aisle and for a moment he was convinced she was headed their way, but she merely gave them a hateful look and headed out of the exit. 

 

At least she would be gone then. 

 

"Good riddance," Thorin said, close enough that Thranduil could smell the ale upon his breath. 

 

He realized they were too close and he leaned back in his seat, turning his attention to the screen and the butchering of Bridget's character. 

 

"I cannot believe they switched the characterisation of Bridget and Bradey."

 

"Just watch the film," Thorin retorted. 

 

"Sorry. It is just a mockery of the narrative that Patrick Banchley wrote."

 

"Then you should have bought tickets to 'Love on Deck' so you could have at least spared us all your incessant complaining," Thorin spat into his ear. 

 

He turned and whispered back into Thorin's ear "I cannot believe you would actually rather watch that drivel than something that has substance. Even if they did ruin certain aspects, they did a far better--"

 

"Excuse me, sirs."

 

They turned their attention to the aisle where a man in uniform stood with a torch.

 

They both balked. 

 

“Yes?” ventured Thranduil, who was closer to the man.

 

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you two to quiet down. You’re disturbing the other patrons.”

 

“I’m very sorry, sir. We will keep it down.” He could not believe that he had to make excuses for Thorin’s behavior.

 

“Please do. I do not want to have to come back. This sort of behavior can result in expulsion from the cinema.”

 

He gasped. No one had ever had the audacity to threaten to kick him out of anywhere.

 

“I’ll try and get him to behave then, sir,” Thorin said with a slight grin. “You won’t have to come back.”

 

His mouth fell open. This was rich. Thorin was the one making all the noise and yet Thranduil  was getting blamed for it.

 

Once the man was almost out of the theatre, he grabbed Thorin’s chin and tilted it so he could whisper in his ear again. “How dare you put the blame on me!”

 

Thorin gave a dry laugh. “You’re the one who keeps complaining about everything. If you could just watch quietly the man never would have had to come in.”

 

Kíli and Tauriel turned to them with pleading eyes.

 

“Look, you are upsetting the children. They came for a nice afternoon at the movies and you are ruining it.”

 

“I’m ruining it? Me?” Thorin laughed again. “How much have you had to drink?”

 

“How dare you!”

 

“Thranduil!” Tauriel whispered loudly, her voice strained.

 

“Now who’s upsetting the children?” mocked Thorin.

 

Torchlight shone on their faces. Thranduil shook his head. “Now look at what you have done.”

 

The man was heading back up the stairs towards them. Thranduil finished his drink and started on the last one. This was far too embarrassing.

 

“I’m not the one who shamed the children into leaving.”

 

Thranduil turned to see Kíli and Tauriel slipping out of the theatre with their heads lowered.

 

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you and your friend to be quiet or to leave,” came the the long suffering sound of the manager’s voice as he reached their row.

 

“This man is not my friend,” Thorin said in a dangerous tone.

 

“Fine, your boyfriend, then,” sighed theatre employee.

 

“As if I would ever be caught in a relationship with this,” Thranduil looked Thorin up and down, trying to come up with an insult grave enough, but he found none, “ignorant overgrown ape.”

 

“Well, here’s some news for you, I would never date a man who couldn’t even make it through a film without drinking three beers. And I certainly wouldn’t date someone who won’t shut up about the fact that a fictional movie isn’t the same as a fictional book!”

 

“You two need to leave,” the manager said, “or I’ll have to call the police.”

 

“Gladly,” Thranduil said, taking his drink and slipping past the manager to trod down the steps.

 

The other patrons clapped as he went, only angering him further. He fumed, his face bright red with with embarrassment.

 

He found Kíli trying to comfort Tauriel in the lobby. She was sitting on one of the plush leather sofas with knees pulled up to her chest and her head resting on them. Her wilting bouquet lay beside her and Kíli had a hand on her shoulder.

 

Thranduil’s heart ached seeing her like this, knowing that he had played a part in causing her pain. “Tauriel, I--”

 

“Stop it!” she cried, raising her head. “This is why I didn’t want you to come. Everything always has to be your way, even when it’s supposed to be a day for me! This was my one chance to actually spend some time alone with my boyfriend, even if we were being supervised. I was looking forward to getting to meet Kíli’s uncle and having a nice day with them. But you ruined that!”

 

Thranduil stood in silence, looking at them.

 

“Don’t you have anything to say?” Her shrill anguished voice tore at him.

 

“I’m sorry, Tauriel.”

 

“Sorry isn’t going to fix this!” She stood, grabbing her flowers to her chest. “You can’t fix anything. You treat me like glass, never letting me do anything. You’re not my real father and you never will be! Stop pretending like you are.”

 

Thranduil’s expression hardened as he clamped down on his feelings. He saw Tauriel’s eyes widen with fear, her hand coming to her lips. “You are right. I am not your real father and I have no way to fix what has gone wrong in your life. But I did not mean to ruin this day that meant so much to you,” he began. Tauriel grabbed Kíli’s hand for support.

 

“I only want you to be happy, Tauriel. I cannot excuse my actions, only to make amends.” He took out his wallet and handed Kíli forty pounds. “You two go to any movie you wish. Kíli, I will deal with your uncle and talk to your mother about it if she has any objections. I trust you both. You two were the ones that acted responsibly.”

 

The teenagers gave him an inquisitive look. 

 

“Go quickly, before I change my mind.”

 

They ran over to the ticket booth and Thranduil smiled sadly, going to the sofa and staring at the last of his cider. He felt numb inside. Tauriel was not his daughter by blood, but she was his daughter in every other way. He had failed as a parent today. 

 

Kíli nodded his thanks as the two went to watch their movie. 

 

Thorin stomped over to where he sat moments later. “I can’t believe you got us thrown out of the movie! I’ve spent the last ten minutes explaining to the manager why we shouldn’t be banned for life. And how do I find you? Sitting here getting drunk! Do you even know where the children are?”

 

He looked up at the other man, not letting his anger meet the challenge this time. “They are inside watching another movie. I thought it only fair given the circumstances.”

 

Thorin seemed shaken by the change in attitude. “You let them go alone?”

 

“I think the manager would prefer that. Besides, they acted less like children than we did.”

 

Thorin continued to stare at him for a minute. 

 

“I think we need to talk. We have plenty of time while they are watching the movie.”

 

Thorin nodded and moved to take a seat beside him on the sofa. “Alright, I’m listening.”

 

Thranduil bit his tongue and moved forward. He did not want to be the one to apologise, since he firmly believed that Thorin had been the one most at fault, but he wanted to make things right for Tauriel. Even if he and Thorin had not gotten along, it did not mean that he should not make an effort for Tauriel’s sake. “I’m sorry for being so critical of the movie and talking while you were watching.”

 

Thorin gave him a scrutinising look. After a minute he seemed satisfied and his expression softened. “Sorry about yelling at you,” he grumbled, looking down at his shoes. “And for calling you an alcoholic.”

 

He smiled and held out his hand to Thorin. “Hello, my name is Thranduil Greenwood. It’s nice to meet you.”

 

Thorin stared at him like he was daft. “Yeah I know.”

 

Thranduil chuckled softly. “I’m trying to start over here.  As if the earlier incident never happened. Would you indulge me?”

 

Thorin took his hand. “Thorin Oakenshield, a pleasure to meet you at last. Dís has told me much about you.”

 

“All good, I hope.”

 

“You are different than what I had expected, but not in a bad way,” said Thorin.

 

“While our children are off, can I interest you in the end of a lukewarm cup of cider?”

 

“Thank you,” Thorin said as Thranduil handed over the last of his drink to share. “Since we have time to kill and should get to know each other better, how about we waste some time in a couple of games of skill?”

 

Thranduil raised an eyebrow. “What are you proposing?”

 

“There’s a small arcade here. Care to join me in a game of air hockey or a racing game?”

 

It had been many years since he had played air hockey, but he had not been bad. “I think I would enjoy that. Loser buys the next plastic cup of cider?”

 

“You have a deal.”

\-----

 

“You are cheating!” laughed Thranduil, pointing to where Thorin had slammed his palm down on the puck to keep it from going into the goal.

 

“You did the same thing last game and said it counted. And then you won! I think I get a free shot at the same trick,” retorted Thorin, releasing the puck to slam it back across the board where Thranduil countered it easily.

 

“Uncle! Mr. Greenwood! Is this where you two have been the whole time?” cried Kíli. Thranduil turned to the voice and heard the puck slam into the slot by his hands.

 

“My win, Thranduil.”

 

He turned back. “You cheated again,” said Thranduil. 

 

“You told me that distractions don’t count,” laughed Thorin. “Thank you for the win, Kíli. You get an extra gift next time I come back from a business trip.”

 

“We’ve been standing in the lobby and calling and texting both of you for twenty minutes,” said Tauriel. 

 

Both men patted their clothes for their phones, checking that indeed they had missed a series of attempts to contact them. 

 

“We were starting to think the two of you had gone and killed each other in the alley,” Kíli added.

 

“I’m sorry we gave you any additional reason to fret, my dears,” Thranduil said. “We were trying to work out our issues.”

 

Tauriel smiled, seeing how good a mood everyone seemed to be in and mouthed ‘thank you’. Thranduil nodded. 

 

“Does that mean you might make it up to us by taking us out to dinner?” asked Kíli hopefully.

 

“Hmmm,” Thorin said in mock thoughtfulness, “won’t your mother be making a big dinner after the game?”

 

“Not for big matches. They’ll be grabbing a meal with the team afterwards,” said Kíli, like his uncle should have known this already.

 

“I don’t know,” Thorin paused, “what do you think, Thranduil? Do they deserve a meal?”

 

He turned to Tauriel. “When did Legolas say he would be returning home?”

 

“Eight o’clock. But I am sure he would love to stay over the night at Gimli’s house,” she replied, mischief twinkling in her eyes. 

 

“Very well. Call Legolas and ask if he wants to spend the night at his friend’s house. If it’s alright with Gimli’s father that he stays over, then we can go out for dinner.”

 

Tauriel pulled her phone from her pocket  and rushed out of the noise of the arcade to make the call, Kíli right on her heels.

 

“I think we managed to do alright by them today, in spite of it all,” Thorin said with a smile in the direction of his nephew, who was bouncing excitedly by Tauriel’s side.

 

Thranduil grinned and turned back to Thorin. “I think you’re right.”

\---------------------------

 

The End


End file.
